The Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA), which describes itself as “championing the retailers and digital services who connect music, video and games creators with UK fans,” has condemned Sony’s decision to cease production of physical game discs on PlayStation, arguing it doesn’t represent progress.
Speaking in a statement, Kim Bayley, CEO of the ERA, commented:
PlayStation’s announcement that major games will no longer be available on disc is a triumph of corporate convenience over consumer choice. Every year, millions of gamers still choose to buy physical copies because they value true ownership. A disc can be shared with family, traded in, collected, preserved and, crucially, still played years from now. A download licence often offers none of those freedoms.
According to consumer data obtained by the ERA, a quarter of those under the age of 25 still use game discs, and last year the disc-based games market was valued at £300 million, “demonstrating that there remains a substantial and committed audience for boxed game.”
Retailers see this demand every day. Physical games continue to bring people into shops and give consumers real value through gifting, collecting and resale. The industry should be embracing every legitimate way consumers want to buy games, not narrowing their choices. Digital distribution has transformed gaming and is hugely popular, but it should complement physical formats, not replace them.
Consumers deserve the freedom to choose how they buy their entertainment. Removing discs doesn’t represent progress – it simply removes choice. That’s bad for gamers, bad for retailers and ultimately bad for the long-term health and preservation of our games industry.
Sony’s decision to scrap production of game discs in January 2028 has been met with overwhelming criticism online. A petition launched by the CEO of an independent retailer in Canada attracted 200,000 signatures late last week, and has now climbed to over 300,000. Meanwhile, Hideo Kojima has said that he’s “really sad” to hear about Sony’s decision, while ex-Sony Worldwide Studios Chairman Shawn Layden also commented on the news, suggesting “it’s just too prohibitively expensive to stamp out discs.”
Unfortunately, it’s looking unlikely that Sony will reverse the decision despite the backlash, with the CEO of Kantan Games stating last week that the format holder is simply ‘waiting for the storm to pass.’
[Source – The Game Business via VGC]